


The Silver's Requiem

by Mystic_Harley



Category: Doctor Who, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Bittersweet, Mild Gore, One Shot, Other, POV First Person
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-17
Updated: 2019-05-17
Packaged: 2020-03-06 18:18:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,662
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18856462
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mystic_Harley/pseuds/Mystic_Harley
Summary: Something has crashed down at Hogwarts. Something evil, and without mercy.People have begun to disappear around the school, and before long Harry and Hermione are embarking on a journey deep to the heart of the Forbidden Forest to find a missing Ron. They're going to encounter an evil greater than they've ever known.





	The Silver's Requiem

The room was too stuffy for Harry’s liking. The dreary Scottish rain pattered against the window of Umbridge’s office, and for a brief moment Harry believed the world was crying for what had happened. The thought quickly faded though as he leaned forward in the mince cushy armchair, cradling the cup of hot cocoa in his hands. Instead of the deposer, a man that resembled something of a lion was sitting at her desk, hands clasped together. “Mr. Potter, I assume you know why I called you here?”  
  
He nodded sharply, and he could feel Snape’s presence hovering behind him. He never thought he would be glad to have the man with him, but as it stood, he was his only ally left at Hogwarts. “You want to know what happened; from my perspective I suppose.”  
  
The auror nodded. “I do. You appear to have been involved with events based on what I’ve been told so far, and as it stands there are still a few facts that puzzle me that I believe you can answer.”   
  
Harry hummed, taking a sip of his cocoa, eyes staring blankly off into space. “It’s a bit of a long story.”  
  
The auror shrugged. “I have time, as I believe, does Professor Snape.”  
  
Focusing his attention back at the window, the rain seemed to soften as he stared out at the grey skies. “It started about a week ago, during the Astronomy OWL…”   
  
\----  
  
Professor McGonagall had just been taken down by Umbridge, and Hagrid had just fled from Hogwarts. Professor Sinestra had somehow managed to wrangle the class back to taking the exam, but I was too worried about everything going on at the time.   
  
I think I was supposed to start charting Venus, but I had knocked my telescope a little out of focus, because when I looked through it, I saw their ship, distant in the stars and glinting in the reflected moonlight of the telescope.  
  
I frowned. I thought that something had gotten onto the telescope. When I went polished it the glass and checked again, I saw the ship burning its way towards us, getting ever closer. I watched it for a moment, unsure if it was a meteor at the time but when I checked again I realized it was closer, nearly taking up the whole telescope. I looked up and saw a brief twinkle up in the sky.  
  
“Professor Sinestra?” I called over, glancing over at her before back at the sky.  
  
Her voice sounded strained and annoyed, weary from so many interruptions. “What is it Mr. Potter?”  
  
I beckoned her over and pointed out towards little pulsating light in the stars. “I think you need to look at this.” She was muttering under her breath as I stood aside, watching her bend low over the telescope. I saw her entire demeanor change as she studied it intensely. I could feel the eyes of the class burrowing in my back like parasitic worms, but I did my best to ignore them all and kept my focus on the sky.   
  
The ship was getting closer.  
  
I felt the familiar rush of adrenaline course through me and I glanced unsurely at the rest of the class before back at the Professor, who was still looking through my telescope with look of concentration on her face. Finally, after a few moments she stood up and motioned towards us. “Everyone pack your things, there will be a brief suspension for the moment as we move classrooms. The stars are not aligned properly here.”  
  
That was a lie and I knew it. I could see she was struggling to keep her face steady and she was periodically checking the telescope and looking out at the sky. “Except for you, Mr. Potter. Pack your things but leave your telescope out for the time being, I shall replace it if anything happens.”  
  
I wet my lips a little, my heart pounding in my chest as I hurriedly shoved my star charts and astral maps into my bag. Hermione had her bag slung over her shoulder, and she leaned over to hiss in my ear. “Harry, what’s going on?”  
  
Truthfully, I didn’t know. I shook my head briefly and nodded my head towards the way out, which was crowded with students. “I think we need to hurry; I have a bad feeling about what’s going to happen.”  
  
“Students!” Professor Sinestra barked sharply, her face pale as she put my telescope down. “Everyone must evacuate the tower _now_!” I heard the low whine of engines, and impulsively I took another look outside to see a massive ship, smoke pouring out of god knows where, careening down towards us.  
  
Someone screamed. Everyone was in a panic as they tried to scramble down the ladder, clogging the passageway and leaving a few of us behind. I watched in horror as the ship’s engines sputtered, sparks flying into the night and I could see the chrome reflecting the moon up above us. Without thinking, I grabbed Hermoine and yanked her to the floor. “DOWN!” I yelled.  
  
It smashed into the Astronomy Tower at breakneck speeds. Plaster and bricks scattered down on the screaming mass as I heard the metal grind against the tower, the air whipping my face. After a moment, I heard the cracking of bark and the loud _thud_ of the crash. It had landed in the Forbidden Forest.  
  
A sudden windchill washed over me, and after checking to see that Hermione was okay, I stood and helped her to her feet, she was waving away the smoke in the air, coughing. “What on earth was that?”  
  
The stench of smoke filled the air and through the partially destroyed tower I could see where the ship had crashed in the distance. “I don’t think that was from Earth.”  
  
I jumped when I heard a loud, annoying _hem hem!_ “Students!” Umbridge’s voice resonated sweetly. “There is no need to be alarmed! Everyone must go back to bed at once if you are not taking your Astronomy classes! Please do not enter the Forbidden Forest until the staff and I have determined it is safe!”  
  
I pulled my cloak closer to me, shivering a little in the night air. “That was probably the most sensible thing I’ve ever heard her say.” I paused for a moment. “Not that it means much, truthfully.”  
  
Hermione gave a breathless giggle, clinging onto my arm and pulling me towards the stepladder which was mercifully empty now. I brushed off the stone dust and spared one last look out at the Forest, and already I could see Umbridge and a couple teachers marching out towards it. Shaking my head, I left the Astronomy Tower.  
  
The next morning, the whole school was buzzing with talk about what happened last night. Everyone was swarming around the students who were at the tower last night to see if they could find out what happened. Was it a meteor that crashed down? Was it aliens? I wasn’t sure if I was glad people didn’t think I was looney or annoyed that people suddenly wanted to hear what I had to say.   
  
The Staff Table looked barren, and I did a double take when I glanced up to see the teachers from last night hadn’t been seated at the table, nor had Umbridge. I nudged Hermione and Ron and inclined my head. “They still not back yet?”  
  
Hermione’s brow furrowed in confusion before Ron snorted, shaking his head and piling a couple more slices of bacon on his plate. “They’re probably sleeping in mate; they were out pretty late last night. I bet our beloved Headmistress needs her beauty rest.” He rolled his eyes and went back to his breakfast.  
  
Chewing on her lip, Hermione gave me a nervous glance before I shrugged and went back to my own breakfast. As far as I was concerned, no Umbridge for the morning was fine by me. It was only when we all lined up for Defense Against the Dark Arts that I suspected something was truly wrong.  
  
We sat in silence for 5 minutes before we all began looking at each other, the classroom filling with quiet whispers and muted conversation. The noise rose in volume the longer we waited, until finally someone got up and knocked on the door to her office. The entire classroom went silent, waiting.  
  
The student knocked again. “Madame Umbridge?” They called, glancing back at the rest of the class. They knocked again, louder this time. “Madame Umbridge! Class has begun!” I leaned back in my chair, sharing a bewildered look with Ron and Hermione before sparing a glance at Malfoy, who looked just as confused as the rest of us.  
  
Standing to my feet, I walked over to the door and knocked on it. “Madame Umbridge! I believe Voldemort has returned and he’s secretly plotting to take over the school!” I called in a light tone. There were snickers behind me, but I frowned at the lack of reaction it got. My hand tingled as a reminder of her usual reaction towards such an outburst, and I curled it tightly before checking to see if the door was unlocked.   
  
It swung open, revealing the office I had grown accustomed towards over my punishments, completely abandoned.   
  
Madame Umbridge was truly gone.   
  
Now the class was really in an uproar as I returned to my seat and grabbed my bag. Ron and Hermione did the same, standing up with me. “What’s going on?” Ron asked, frowning in confusion.   
  
I shook my head a little. “No idea. Guess she must be at the Ministry or something.”  
  
Hermione frowned thoughtfully as we filed out of the classroom, glancing back at the office before shuffling down the hall with us. “I’m not so sure about that, wouldn’t she have said something about that?”  
  
Ron shouldered his bag a little more, motioning for us to follow him towards the common room. “Maybe she had to go right away about the meteor last night. It’s not every day something like that happens y’know, muggles are probably trying to swarm the place just to look at it. My dad mentioned that the muggles really know their stuff about space, see, and when something like that happens, they tend to be real interested in it.”  
  
That was no meteor, I thought to myself. I could believe a lot of things but what I saw last night wasn’t a meteor in the slightest. I shared a look with Hermione, who also seemed rather skeptical at Ron’s assurances, but I saw the resignation on her face and decided to keep my thoughts to myself as we walked through the door, pausing only when Angeline Johnson stood up.   
  
“There you are Ron!” She said cheerfully, beckoning him over. “Professor Babbling and Professor Burbage weren’t in class today, so I was hoping you’d show up. Looks like the old Umbitch isn’t here either.”  
  
Ron nodded absently, dumping his bag on one of the cushy armchairs. “Right, and?”  
  
Angelina grinned cheekily. “And, we’re going to finally have ourselves a quick practice session. C’mon, lets go before someone else decides to take advantage. The Ravenclaws should be done by now. “Waving at me and Hermione, Ron followed the team out of the common room.  
  
“Make sure you don’t get lost like Umbridge did!” I called after him, and I grinned when the team laughed. All my laughter died though when I saw the pensive look on Hermione’s face. “What’s up?”  
  
She motioned for us to sit down, Crookshanks leaping into her lap when she did so. Absently, she stroked the cat’s head. We sat in silence for a bit, Crookshanks’ purring and writhing happily in his owner’s lap. “Something’s not right.” She finally said after a moment.  
  
I moved my chair closer to hers. “What makes you think that?”   
  
Waving her hand, a bit, she chewed on her lip again. “I can’t really explain it…but I don’t think the professors being missing is just a coincidence…I don’t know, I just sense…something _evil_ is happening here.” She held up her cat. “What do you think Crookshanks?”  
  
Crookshanks meowed, and she set him back down with a sigh. “What do you think Harry?”  
  
I shrugged a little, at the time I truthfully never thought much about it. Propping my chin against I hand, I let the warmth of the starting fire send me into a tired haze. “It’s hard to tell, I guess. My scar isn’t hurting so I know it’s not Voldemort, and if you want evil look no further than Umbridge.”  
  
Nodding slowly, Hermione stared off into space. “I suppose so…something just feels… _wrong…_ ” Checking the time, she sagged a little, and I shifted a bit in my chair. She pulled up one of her books, and I fell asleep.  
  
What I’m about to describe next sounds a little crazy, but I promise you it’s all true. I have…a special link, with Voldemort. I can’t really explain how now, but when I fall asleep, sometimes…I could see what he saw. At least, that is, until after what happened.  
  
I was in the Forbidden Forest again. I remember being curious about what had fallen in there, wondering if I could harness it for my goals. It was pathetically easy sneaking there while Dumbledore was gone, and I weaved through the trees towards it.  
  
There was the muffled sound of voices, I couldn’t see clearly at the time, I don’t have expert vision. Instead I… I heard screaming. Lights were flashing from the meteor and when I finally got close enough, I could see it was really a space-craft. Most of it was in a burnt out clearing, broken trees scattered around it, and the thick tang of blood scented the air.    
  
My nostrils flared as I pulled out my wand, I was cautious now. I moved closer, wary, until I see a flash of silver and I’m knocked out.  
  
When I awake, I’m strapped to a table, my wand is gone. I struggle against my bonds but they’re too tight. “The subject is awake.” I hear a deep-voiced figure say. I can’t move my head, and I just stare up at the lights.  
  
“Do you know who I am?” I hiss angrily. “I am Lord Voldemort!” I try to threaten my way out, how dare they treat me like this!  
  
“That is irrelevant.” I hear them say. “We do not care who you are, we only care of your curious power. After this, we shall grow more resistance to this energy. Prepare him for conversion!”  
  
Conversion? I struggle against my bonds tighter, and I can feel my magic swirl before I feel a sharp pain in my leg, and before long the pain shoots up my whole body. They finally loom over me, and I see dead, lifeless eyes and a silver face.  
  
“Harry! Harry!” I wake with a start, looking around wildly. I’m back in the common room, the fire crackling warmly. Crookshanks hops in my lap and rubs up against my belly, trying to comfort me. Hermione’s standing in front of me, looking concerned. “Harry, what on earth happened? You were screaming…”   
  
\---  
  
“Was, Mr. Potter?” Harry jerked a little from his reminiscing by the auror, and he bleakly realized his cocoa was gone.  
  
Harry nodded, setting the empty cup down and wishing he had more. “Yeah, I-I think. The link with Voldemort has been…quiet, I guess. Sometimes when I fall asleep, I get flashes though. Like I’m trapped in my own body. But…” He shook his head slowly and motioned to his cup. “May I have some more?”  
  
“Of course.”   
  
His cup refilled, he took it and took a grateful sip, uncaring as the hot liquid scorched his throat a little. “Now, where was I? Right, Hermione had told me I was screaming, and…”  
  
\---  
  
And I was a little confused. My thoughts were cluttered and disorganized. “Hermione, Screaming? What…” I looked out at the Forest. “…I think you’re right Hermione. About something evil being here.”  
  
Shadows of emotion fell over her face, and she nodded once. “…Thank you, I think. Let’s go down to supper, I think you need a hot meal inside of you.” I didn’t want to argue with that, and wearily I followed her down to the Great Hall.  
  
The skies were a dark grey, and the first thing I noticed was how empty the staff table looked. The remaining staff were huddled together, talking to one another as I sat down and began piling my plate with food. “Are they still not back yet?”   
  
Hermione looked over, raising her eyebrows in surprise. “They must not be, you said it yourself, they’re probably at the Ministry, maybe taking a statement.”  
  
Pursing my lips, something in my gut knawed at me that it wasn’t as simple as that. I could still remember the dream, and honestly, I felt rather sick, so I didn’t put much on my plate that night and began eating.   
  
I only turned when someone tapped my shoulder, and to my surprise it was Angelina. She looked…worried, really concerned about something. “Have you seen Ron, Harry?” She asked me.  
  
Blinking, I shook my head. “Isn’t he with you and the team?” Immediately, I leaned over and examined all the faces on the table. I squinted my eyes a little, focusing as best I could through the noise to try and locate Ron. I saw Ginny and her older brothers sitting together, talking to one another, looking worried, but I couldn’t see him.   
  
“No, he wanted to stay behind and practice a little more. I thought he’d be done by now though…”  
  
I frowned and looked back over at her. “Have you checked the pitch?”  
  
She nodded. “He’s not there either. Maybe we just missed him and he’s showering right now. I’m sure he’ll turn up for dinner. Thanks anyways Harry. Oh, and be on the lookout for Cho as well, eh? Seems she’s flown the coop too. Probably hiding somewhere to cry about Cedric.” She gave me a brief thump on the shoulder and went to go sit down.  
  
Ron never did show up for dinner though.  
  
The next morning when I awoke, the first thing I did was check Ron’s bed. My heart was clamped tightly, and my throat felt swollen when I saw the empty, tidy sheets. I had asked the other boys if they had seen him at some point, but they all denied seeing him that night.   
  
I knew Ron wasn’t on the grounds, nor was Cho. I waited impatiently in the common room for Hermione to come down, and she gave me a silent look that was asking about Ron. I shook my head and she paled drastically.  
  
We walked in dreadful silence down towards the Great Hall. The first thing I heard was the low roar of the students rising subtly up towards the cold grey enchanted skies. Umbridge and her motley crew of teachers still hadn’t appeared at the breakfast table, and the remaining teachers were nowhere to be seen either, probably off in the staff room or something, I presume.  
  
I could hear the smatterings of broken conversation and the drifting of rumors around me as we sat down. Food seemed unappealing as the remaining Weasleys approached us. Ginny’s eyes looked red and puffy, she had likely been crying all night. “Harry, have you…” I shook my head to prematurely cut her off. Fred and George hugged their little sister close, looking grim as she turned into them and began sobbing quietly, muted by the bustle of the students.  
  
“Harry, mate.” One of the twins said, I think George. “Do you have any idea where Ron is? We’ve been worried sick about him.” I didn’t want to tell them I did have an inkling of an idea about where Ron had gone, but I shook my head. They sagged notably and led Ginny off back to where they were sitting.  
  
I pulled Hermione in close. “After breakfast, the Room of Requirement.” I hissed into her ear. She gave me an odd look, but as we had Defense Against the Dark Arts first thing after breakfast and Umbridge was still gone, I doubted there would be a suitable replacement. She nibbled distractedly on a bit of toast and nodded. I returned to my own light breakfast of sausage and eggs and ate in contemplative silence.  
  
Before you ask, I’ll explain a little about the Room of Requirement. It’s…well, it’s difficult to explain honestly. As far as I can tell it’s whatever you really need it to be at the time. If you need to go to the bathroom, for instance, it’ll create a room full of chamber pots. If you need a room to practice magic, it will provide tomes and perhaps training dummies. I haven’t been able to really explore in depth about it, but it appears to be limited to the person’s imagination.  
  
That out of the way, the Room had decided a quiet place to talk was mimicking a cozy, if small, little sitting room. A fire crackled away in a little brick fireplace, bathing the room in a warm comforting hug as we sat down on the loveseat. After a moment, a tray with two cups of piping hot tea appeared before us, and I raised my eyebrow at her. Hermione shrugged, took her cup, and blew. “So, what’s so important that you dragged me all the way up here to talk about in private?”  
  
This…was going to be difficult. I leaned back, taking the cup of tea provided for me and sighing through my nose, trying to collect my thoughts. “I…” I started, tapping my finger absently against the cup. “I think, I know where Ron is.”  
  
Hermione gave me a serious look. “Why didn’t you tell Ginny that Harry? You saw how she was; she and her brothers are worried sick!” I raised up my hand, setting the cup down.  
  
“Please, let me explain.” She sat back, looking cross but saying nothing. I ran a hand through my hair, breathing slowly. “I…think it has to do with…well, whatever crashed down in the Forest. Think about it, Umbridge and her cronies went down there and they’re not back yet. And the pitch _is_ pretty close to the Forest… but, I need proof.”  
  
Hermione’s eyes narrowed a little at that, leaning forward. “What do you mean, proof?”  
  
I won’t lie to you, I was…scared, I guess, about what I was going to suggest. Somewhere deep down I knew that whatever was going on in that forest, whatever’s in there was enough to jump Voldemort, but… I just needed to know if Ron was in there. Figure something out and contact the authorities. Despite what you all think of me or my reputation, I don’t fancy the idea of dying, it’s hardly my fault I end up getting stuck in life or death scenarios.  
  
Anyways, I finally took a big gulp of my tea. “I want to go into the forest and see if we can find Ron.” I saw her start to object and I raised my hand again. “I’m not saying we _rescue_ him. Just find him. I… I don’t think we’re qualified enough to try and help him if he’s in danger. I just wanted to go in and find him.”  
  
I’ve known Hermione for almost six years now, she’s basically the older sister I never had the chance to have, after all, and I can always tell when she’s thinking. Her eyes dart back and forth, taking in unseen details as her brilliant mind goes over every possibility that I likely missed. We finished our tea in silence, and she set the cup down, standing up. “Alright, let’s go then.”  
  
We both knew no one would stop us as we trekked down towards the entrance hall. With a small effort the giant doors slowly swung open, revealing grey, dreary skies and a warm wind. It gently brushed our faces as we walked down the steps, striding purposefully towards Hagrid’s Hut. The wind whipped us a little faster, the dead tree branches swaying in the breeze, and the sky seemed to darken as we stood in front of the mouth of the Forbidden Forest. The scent of oncoming rain was in my nose, and I knew somewhere, buried amongst the trees was my best friend.  
  
We stepped into the forest, towards our unknown fate. The dead leaves crunched and cracked under our weight. “Do you remember where it crashed down?” I asked her, batting aside a branch close to eye-level. She nodded, pushing in front of me and leading onwards, deep into the heart of the dark forest. She pulled out her wand and waved it in a complicated design, the words leaving her lips and muting our footsteps. We were as silent as the forest as we fought our way towards the alien craft.  
  
The sky overhead was darkening around us. Through the canopy of the trees, I could see the last remnants of the murky day grow into pitch black. I flinched when Hermione lit her wand, the light spilling out across the dead ground. I could see the faint frost of our breathing as we kept on our path.  
  
All of a sudden, the light cut out and Hermione slammed me against a tree. She clapped a hand over my mouth and hissed “Be quiet!” In my ear. I was praying that it was just Grawp, or a centaur, or any other natural denizen of the forest. I would’ve even taken one of Aragog’s children.  
  
Deep, unnatural footsteps lumbered close to us. My eyes strained to adjust to the sudden dark, and I flinched when I heard the snapping of branches before a beam of light pierced through the trees, shrouding us in darkness. A grating, synthesized voice echoed in our ears. “Optical zzzcan revealzz nothing.”  
  
“Acknowledged,” Another voice buzzed. “Another of thozzze arachnoid creaturezz. Do not zztray far from the ship.” Hermione looked white as a ghost, staring outwards at the voices. I craned my neck a little, my blood running cold at the sight.  
  
I had never seen anything like that before. The sleek dull metal seemed to be illuminated in the dark. A big, rectangular machine lay at the chest area. They each carried bulky looking weapons that I wasn’t familiar with, but I was focused on their faces. Expressionless masks topped by handlebars which housed a single bulb, sweeping across the trees and just barely missing us. I felt Hermione’s hand shaking as I gently peeled it off. “What are they?” I asked.  
  
She shook her head briefly. “I don’t know. God, I don’t know. But we have to follow them.” Carefully, we moved from our hiding spot and followed them, my heart caught in my throat as we traced their steps as best, we could, praying that a sound wouldn’t give us away.  
  
They lumbered slowly, almost like inferi. Their ship was buried in the dirt and trees, shattered back around us as we crouched behind one. I couldn’t hear what they were saying anymore, but I could hear screaming.   
  
I know I have a reputation for being fearless in the face of danger. For standing tall and staring down my enemies or whatever, but I was afraid. God I’m still afraid. The screaming got louder as we approached the ship, replacing forest ground for hard cold steel. I felt cold, colder than I ever had before as we wound our way through the dimly lit labyrinth, following our ears as the sound of drilling and crying echoed across the walls, followed by a sick cracking sound. Light poured from one of the rooms, and we edged our way closer.  
  
I wish we hadn’t. I wish we had just kept going, but we had to look. We had to look and find out.  
  
It was Cho.  
  
She was spasming on the table, tears streaming down her face as the metal beings hovered around her, working like clockwork with various machinery that was alien to us. I remember clinging onto Hermione tightly, bile rising and threatening to give us away as one of them hauled one of those box-like machines and just…just _thrust_ it into her chest. Blood splattered all over it, but it didn’t even care.   
  
Cho twitched; her mouth open in silent agony. I could see the life draining from her eyes, her hand twitching involuntarily. One of them near her head began speaking. “It izzz done.”  
  
They stood back; blood was everywhere. I could see that Cho’s legs had been completely stripped off, replaced with cybernetic components. “We muzzt require more material, converzzion izz getting difficult.” One said.  
  
“We will.” The other said and moved to face Cho. “Rizze…” Her body rose, stilted and unsteady.  
  
“What. Are my. Orders?” She spoke, dark lifeless eyes turning towards one of them.   
  
Hermione tugged my arm. “Let’s find Ron…” She said in my ear, and with great difficulty tore myself aware from the sight, heading down another dark corridor in search of my best friend.   
  
Navigating the ship was difficult, we had no landmarks and every room revealed nothing about where they would keep him, if he was even on the ship. I looked over my shoulder periodically afraid of seeing these…these machine men standing there, sounding the alarm and trapping us.  
  
Hermione yanked on my arm and we juked down a corridor towards the back of the ship, where it was partially underground. I could smell the damp earth, and I could hear the faint sound of conversation.  
  
Ron.  
  
We shared a look and we hurried down the corridor, trying our best to stay quiet as we finally found him, sitting in what was probably the brig. He snapped his head up, eyes wide when he saw us. “Hermione? _Harry?_ ”  
  
We hurriedly got our wands out, pointing it at the door. “Stand back, we’ll get you out.”  
  
He moved as close as he could to the bars, pushing us back. “It won’t work. Magic won’t work on these guys. I’ve…I’ve tried. Please.” He looked gaunt, starved. His face was dirty and pale, his hair sticking to him. “Just get out of here. Run as far as you can and warn the ministry, warn _anyone_ you can about these people. They’re…they’re turning us into them, I think. They’ll be going after the school soon, I overheard them talking about it.”  
  
My heart ached, and I felt the hope drain from my body. “No, no no we can’t just leave you here.”  
  
He shook his head stubbornly, damn him. “You have too, please, get out before they notice you’re here. Please Harry, just _run._ ” I could hear the heavy thumping of footsteps behind us, and I knew that he was right. I felt tears prick at my eyes and I stood up.   
  
“We’ll get help for you; I promise.” Ron smiled sadly at us and motioned to go.  
  
Grabbing Hermoine’s wrist, we sprinted out of the cell room and ran face first into one of the metal men. It jerked back in alarm, and before it even had time to register, we both fired a point-blank spell at it, sending it stumbling back. “RUN!” I yelled, pelting off down the corridor as a claxon began sounding loudly, the corridors flushing with red light.  
  
“Intruder Alert! Intruder Alert!” Screamed the alarm, and we dove to an aside corridor as another of the metal men appeared at the end of the hall and fired its weapon at us, I flinched at the sound of an explosion.  
  
“Do you remember how to get out of here?” I yelled at Hermione over the noise, who nodded and grabbed my wrist. Together we sprinted towards the exit, firing spells all around us to create as much distraction as possible. Sparks showered all around our path as more of the strange guns were fired, filling my ears with explosions. We only stopped when another figure lurched around a corner.  
  
“Cho!” Hermione cried, and before she could even react Hermione blasted her with a spell. “ _Stupify!_ ” A great jet of red energy slammed into the chest unit at Cho, sparks dancing in front of us as Cho stumbled back, mechanical whirring filling our ears. We roughly shot past her and finally saw the dim light of the forest. “Just a little farther, come on!”   
  
We stopped at the ramp when we saw two of the metal men standing there, aiming up at us. “DIVE!” I yelled, and flung myself off to the side, more sparks coating us both.   
  
I pushed myself up and heard Hermione yelling. “Run Harry! Get help!” I stole a glance behind me and saw her making towards even deeper in the forest. “I’m going to try and lure them to Grawp, get help now!”   
  
My stomach felt like it was going to be sick, I was abandoning my other best friend to their mercies. But I did what I was told and sprinted as hard as I could into the trees, throwing myself into the brush as best I could, desperately clawing my way back towards the castle.  
  
I broke out of the tree line, and I could barely see in front of my face, we must have spent longer in there than I had thought. Past Hagrid’s Hut, I ran as fast as I could towards the doors. I looked behind me and to my horror I could see the metal men lumbering out of the woods. I could also see, just faintly, the images of the teachers that had been missing the past few days.  
  
I slammed the doors to the Great Hall and prayed that would be enough to stop them. With Professor McGonagall and Dumbledore gone, the only person left I could think to turn to was… well, Professor Snape.  
  
By this point I had memorized the way down to his office, and it felt like even the castle was guiding my way down to him, I had certainly never arrived there quicker. I banged hard on the door, completely out of breath. “Professor Snape! Professor Snape!”  
  
Finally, he opened the door, glowering down at me. “Mister Potter, you had better have a good reason for disturbing me at such an hour.”  
  
I shook my head frantically. “The school is under attack! Hermione, Hermione’s in the forest, Ron has been, oh _god_ I left Ron and Hermione at their mercy!” My breathing was getting even worse, I felt like I was suffocating.  
  
Snape roughly grabbed me by the shoulders. “Mister Potter, what on earth are you babbling about?”  
  
I looked him directly in the eyes. “Look for yourself sir.”   
  
We stood there like that for a few minutes, my heart thumping loudly in my ears. By the time Snape had pulled away, his face was ashen. “I shall round up the remaining teachers at once. Hogwarts will not be violated by these… these metal men.”  
  
A loud, thundering bang filled our ears. I looked up at the ceiling, and a few moments later, another loud bang seemed to shake the foundations we stood on. “Sir, with all due respect, I think it’s already happening.”  
  
Without saying a word, Snape broke into a full force run. Turning on my heel, I sprinted after him, ascending to the Entrance Hall. The doors buckled ominously as a third bang made them shudder violently, but mercifully they held.   
  
“Mister Potter, you are to go up to Gryffindor Tower and you are _not_ under any circumstance to leave, is that understood?” I looked up at him and nodded.   
  
“Yes sir.”  
  
The staircases swung towards me as I made it to the first steps, helping me climb upwards towards the tower. I saw Snape speak to one of the portraits, and all around me there was a buzz of activity, the portraits sending their messages across the school like a well-oiled machine.  
  
\---  
  
He took a deep, sobering breath and finished off his cocoa. “That’s the last I remember sir, honestly.” There was a small roll of thunder, and soon it began raining down on Hogwarts. “May I go now, sir?” He glanced up at Snape unsurely, who nodded his permission.  
  
Standing, he set the cup down and quickly left the room. He knew there was more to the story, but right now all he cared about was seeing Hermione. The climb towards the Hospital Wing was a tired and morose affair, he had been sitting down for some hours now, feeling drained after retelling that hellacious day.  
  
The doors swung open easily and Harry walked as quietly as he could towards her bed, sitting down next to her sleeping form.  
  
She still looked dreadfully pale, and he remembered the scene that was made when he heard they found her. He smiled a little when her eyes fluttered open. “Hey.” He whispered quietly.  
  
Hermione gave a weak smile back. “Hey to you too.” She croaked hoarsely, her throat dry from misuse. She leaned over to grab the cup of water, but he gently grabbed it and eased it to her lips for her. “Thanks Harry. How’s Ron?”  
  
Harry ducked his head a little, unwanted memories flooding back of Ginny clutching onto him, crying against him, Fred and George’s arms around them both as he watched them haul Ron on a magical stretcher off to St. Mungos. The second Weasley to visit in less than a year. “He’ll live, the Doctors say. You know how Ron is, he’ll eat the hospital out of food entirely if he stays there too long.”   
  
They both shared a fond little smile, and Harry pointed at the bed. “How’s your leg feeling?”  
  
“Better.” She said simply. “I can actually feel it now. Madame Pomfrey says a few more days and I’ll be able to walk again, I’ll probably walk with a little limp for the rest of my life though. There was a lot of damage, she said. I hope you’ve been taking good notes.”  
  
A peal of laughter escaped him despite himself. Shaking his head, he sighed softly. Only Hermione could tell him off like that after what had happened. “I have, don’t you worry.”  
  
The doors swung open again, and Harry stiffened a little as a man wearing for all the world to be a cricketer’s outfit, followed by two young women. “Ah, good. Miss Granger, I was hoping you would be awake. I take it you don’t remember us?” She shook her head, and the man nodded, removing his hat. “Perhaps that’s for the best then. Just thought we’d check up on you before departing, make sure you were alright. Tegan’s idea, really.” The one identified as Tegan gave her a kind smile. “Still, you appear to be well on your way to a healthy recovery.”  
  
When the man turned to look at Harry, Harry saw something familiar in his eyes. Something that Harry couldn’t quite place where he had seen it before. The man offered him a kind smile, one that reached his eyes with so much warmth in them. “Mr. Potter, pleasure meeting you as well. Come along you two, I’ll tell you more about the castle later.”  
  
Just like that, they were off.  
  
“Harry? Who were they?” Hermione whispered long after they were gone, into the silence.  
  
Harry scooted himself closer to Hermione. “Just the ones that found you, in the end. It’s best not to worry too much about it, I think. Just rest for now.”   
  
Leaning back, Hermione felt her eyes close again, and she slipped back into silent slumber. Harry stayed there by her side late into the night, until he was finally shooed away by Madame Pomfrey. He gave one last look at Hermione, before closing the Hospital Wing doors silently.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to everyone who read this. Reviews and criticism are always welcome! This took me ages to write, haha.


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